Saint Xavier University announces appointment of new president, Christine M. Wiseman, J.D.

Christine Wiseman becomes Saint Xavier’s 19th President, effective June 1, 2010

Chicago (Nov. 24, 2009) The Saint Xavier University Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Christine M. Wiseman, J.D. as the 19th president of the University, effective June 1, 2010.

With a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate from Marquette University, Wiseman has spent nearly 30 highly successful years in Catholic higher education, most recently serving as Provost and Professor of Law at Loyola University of Chicago. At Loyola, she directed the academic division of the largest national Catholic research institution in the United States, offering 71 undergraduate majors, 85 master’s and 31 doctoral degrees to nearly 16,000 students through its ten schools, College of Arts and Sciences, and Institute of Pastoral Studies.

Before joining Loyola in 2007, Wiseman served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Creighton University and as an administrator and Law Professor at Marquette University. At Creighton, she led strategic planning and the university's re-accreditation efforts, as well as interdisciplinary initiatives to foster collaboration between the health sciences and other disciplines. She also supervised Enrollment Management, the Registrar's Office, Student Retention, the Office of International Programs, the university library, federally-funded TRIO programs, and a $2 million Lilly grant which supports Creighton's Cardoner Program. During her tenure at Marquette, she was the first woman to rise through the academic ranks to senior administrative leadership, having served as Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the law school, and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for the university. Prior to her academic career, Wiseman served as an Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General with the Criminal Appeals Division and a law clerk for the United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Wiseman has been active with many professional and public service agencies. She was a member of the Wisconsin Task Force on Equal Justice, the Board of Attorneys’ Professional Responsibility and the Board of Bar Examiners. She also has been a member of the Wisconsin State Elections Board and the Board of the Federal Defender Services of Eastern Wisconsin, Inc. Wiseman has served on the high school boards of St. Mary’s Academy (Milwaukee), St. Joan Antida High School (Milwaukee) and Marian High School (Omaha), as well as the Board of the Women’s Fund of Greater Omaha. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and is Chair of its Academic Affairs Committee.

Throughout her career, Wiseman has been recognized and honored for her contributions and her service. In 1989, Wiseman received the Wisconsin Civil Liberties Union Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award for her seven-year pro bono representation of Texas death row inmate Billy Conn Gardner, and in 1991, she received the Marquette University Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence. The Wisconsin Business Journal also recognized her in 2000 as a “Woman of Influence.”

Prior to leaving Marquette University in May 2002, Wiseman received the Spirit of the Law School Award for serving as a role model for a generation of Marquette lawyers, and in April 2003, she was named Marquette University Law Alumna of the Year. In 2006, she was nominated for the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award sponsored by the American Bar Association. Creighton University named The Christine M. Wiseman, J.D. Scholarship for Disadvantaged Women for her.

Wiseman remains Associate Editor of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology and is co-author of Wisconsin Practice: Criminal Practice & Procedure (West 2008, 2d Ed.) and Punitive Damages: Law and Practice (West 2000). Her articles have appeared in the Ohio State Law Journal, the St. Louis University Law Journal, the Marquette Law Review and elsewhere. She is a frequent keynote speaker, panelist and moderator on higher education, law and gender equality topics.

“Wiseman’s extensive experience as a university administrator, her involvement with external constituencies, and her superior credentials make her a perfect choice to be the next president of Saint Xavier,” said Thomas E. Chomicz, Chairman, Board of Trustees. “The board is confident Wiseman will ensure that the University's most important resources, its faculty, staff, students and programs are marshaled to facilitate the economic engagement and prosperity of the community. We look forward to her leadership of Saint Xavier following the successful six-year tenure of current President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D.”

“I am honored to be selected by the board of trustees as the next president of Saint Xavier University,” said Wiseman. “Saint Xavier is recognized as a leading Catholic institution that has been prominent in Chicago for more than 160 years. I look forward to building on its successes and implementing a future that is both exciting for its vision yet true to its mission, core values and the educational ideals founded by the Sisters of Mercy.”

The Board of Trustees acknowledged and thanked Dwyer for extending her term of service as President to November 30, 2009. To aid in the presidential transition and in accordance with the University Bylaws, Provost Angela Durante, Ph.D. has accepted to serve as Interim President from December 1, 2009, through May 31, 2010. “We look forward to working with Durante during this transition and preparation time to welcome Christine Wiseman on June 1, 2010, as the next President of Saint Xavier,” said Chomicz.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION

Jay Foot, Executive Director of Media Relations
O: (773) 298-3937
C: (773) 617-3632
foot@sxu.edu